UConn, Stanford, Texas A&M and South Carolina named top seeds in second women's basketball committee top 16 reveal

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee announced that UConn, Stanford, Texas A&M and South Carolina would be the No. 1 seeds if the season ended today. The second top-16 reveal by the committee this season took place factoring in games played through Saturday, February 27.

The announcement of the 64-team, 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship bracket will take place on Monday, March 15 during the ESPN Selection Show (7 p.m. ET).

NC State, Maryland, Arizona and Baylor were the No. 2 seeds. The nine through 16 seeds included Louisville, UCLA, Georgia and Indiana on the three line, while Tennessee, Kentucky, Oregon and Arkansas were tabbed as No. 4 seeds.

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In addition, it was announced that the four regions for the 2021 championship are going to be referred to as the Alamo Region, Hemisfair Region, Mercado Region and River Walk Region. With all games being held in San Antonio and the surrounding area, the committee felt it created a unique opportunity to brand each region of the bracket in ways that showcase the deep history and cultural heritage of the host city.

“As the season turns the calendar to March, it was exciting as a committee to see the movement of teams from the first reveal several weeks ago and to start to get a sense of the same in-depth team discussions we will be having in less than two weeks,” said Nina King, senior deputy athletics director and chief of staff at Duke and chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. “We will be watching closely as conference tournaments get underway.”

UConn, 20-1 overall and 17-0 in Big East Conference play, maintained its place as the No. 1 overall seed from the first reveal on Feb. 15. The Huskies are currently riding a 10-game winning streak.

Stanford, 21-2 overall and 18-2 in Pac-12 Conference play, has also won 10 straight games.  The Cardinal endured a stretch this season of not playing a home game at Maples Pavilion from Nov. 25 to Feb. 5.

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Sunday’s announcement by the committee came on the same day that No. 3 overall seed Texas A&M was hosting No. 4 overall seed, South Carolina in a key Southeastern Conference matchup.  Texas A&M, 21-1 overall and 12-1 in SEC play, entered that game with a nine-game winning streak, while South Carolina, 19-3 overall and 14-1 in SEC play, has won two straight games since dropping a 75-67 decision to Tennessee on Feb. 18.

For the 19th consecutive year, an ESPN channel will broadcast all 63 games of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship taking place March 21 through April 4. While specific game times and channels will be announced later for all preliminary-round games, viewers can expect games to be played in the traditional championship broadcast windows, with every game of all rounds carried in full national on ESPN networks. This year will mark the 26th straight year (since 1996) that ESPN has served as the championship’s exclusive television home. All games will be available online via the ESPN app.

NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee – February 28 – Top-16 Ranking*

1. UConn (No. 1 seed – Alamo Region)
2. Stanford (No. 1 seed – River Walk Region)
3. Texas A&M (No. 1 seed – Mercado Region)
4. South Carolina (No. 1 seed – Hemisfair Region)
5. NC State
6. Maryland
7. Arizona
8. Baylor
9. Louisville
10. UCLA
11. Georgia
12. Indiana
13. Tennessee
14.  Kentucky
15. Oregon
16. Arkansas

*Ranking and regional assignments based on games played through Saturday, February 27

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National Semifinals: 

ALAMO Region Winner vs. HEMISFAIR Region Winner
MERCADO Region Winner vs. RIVER WALK Region Winner

National Championship: 

ALAMO/HEMISFAIR Winner vs. MERCADO/RIVER WALK Winner

ALAMO REGION:

1. UConn
2. Arizona
3. Georgia
4. Arkansas

RIVER WALK REGION:

1. Stanford
2. Baylor
3. Louisville
4. Tennessee

MERCADO REGION:

1. Texas A&M
2. Maryland
3. UCLA
4. Kentucky

HEMISFAIR REGION:

1. South Carolina
2. NC State
3. Indiana
4. Oregon